Highway I-80 West

By John Reddie

In 1987, Jeff Marner is thirty-one years old. Due to his drug and alcohol use, he has been fired from several trucking companies. He makes ends meet by taking jobs as a day worker, but even then, Jeff takes money from his mother to support his unhealthy habits.

He gets a lucky break when he wins the lottery and buys a tractor-trailer rig of his own. Jeff meets another trucker named Ingrid Jansen. The two fall in love, and due to her influence, Jeff is finally clean.

His father, a prominent artist locally, had passed some years earlierand now his mother becomes terminally ill and dies as well. But before his mothers death, she stressed the importance of protecting his fathers work. An art dealer and the family lawyer are put in charge of the estate.

Jeff accepts a lucrative cross-country hauling job, he and Ingrid couldnt be happier together, but life takes a turn for the worse when his mothers chosen art dealer and legal consultant turn out to be unscrupulous. They may be taking Jeff for a ride, and now, hes on a crash course in human greed and deceit. Hes the only one who can save his familys legacyan assignment he never saw coming down the bumpy road of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491737460

John Reddie

John Reddie has lived in Massachusetts for sixty-nine years. In addition to writing, he enjoys antique automobiles, reading, and watching films from the forties, fifties, and sixties. This is his debut novel.

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Highway I-80 West

Copyright © 2014 John Reddie.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-3747-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-3746-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014910613

iUniverse rev. date: 06/24/2014

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 1

Benton Falls, Massachusetts was located thirty eight miles from Boston heading toward New York. Its location was pretty much in the middle of the state, that is, equally spaced on each side from the Connecticut border and the Atlantic Ocean. Area wise, it was quite large compared to some of the neighboring towns. The Beech River, named for the abundance of Beech trees along its banks, flowed through the southern part of the town, beginning in Vermont and terminating in Rhode Island. The center of town had changed slightly since the turn of the century through the present time of 1987. Several new housing developments had been constructed in the past fifteen years featuring decent sized well landscaped houses with private tree lined yards.

The next town west of Benton Falls was Newfield, smaller but more populated. Outside the center on Highway 15 A was the Dorothea Palmer Nursing Home. It was a large facility with an excellent reputation and named after its founder, Dr. Dorothea Palmer. It catered to primarily terminal patients, one being Evelyn Marner. Sixty five years of age and not a smoker, Evelyn’s cancer had been first detected in her right lung and had now moved into her bones as well. Every three or four days the lung was tapped to drain the fluid from it giving her some respiratory relief. Despite her condition with deteriorating health, her spirits were good and all of the nurses loved her.

She had been moved there from the hospital two days prior and had started chemotherapy which she seemed to be tolerating fairly well. Unfortunately, one evening two days earlier, while still at the hospital, she had attempted to leave her bed to use the bathroom. An earlier shot of Morphine had been administered and she apparently reacted negatively to it. The main problem was that the nurse had not raised the side gate on her bed so she fell and fractured her hip. This unfortunately interfered with her chemotherapy treatments, but in reality, her future outlook was short regardless.

Evelyn was married to Robert Marner, an extremely talented artist and art teacher. He painted land and seascapes as well as portraits of persons. His works were displayed at local art shows and galleries throughout the state. For many years, he taught art classes at a top rate school in Boston and was still doing so part time at the time of his death thirteen years earlier. He was nine years older than Evelyn and after two mild heart attacks, he died suddenly from a massive stroke. He left her a large number of oil paintings and water colors featuring gorgeous ocean views and brilliant autumn and winter scenes. She treasured all of his works and the years that they had together.

In 1953, Robert’s only aunt died and left him all of her possessions which included her meager savings and a beautiful home in Benton Falls located beside the Beech River. Some of Robert’s best paintings were of the scenery visible from the rear upstairs porch off of his studio. The front of the house was preceded by a large front lawn and a dirt driveway. Large Evergreen bushes lined the roadside and blocked the view of the house from the street. Beside the house was a small concrete goldfish pond with three large stone containers on each side that once had flowers growing in them but now only dead weeds could be seen. A large grape arbor to one side was filled with dead vines. An untrimmed hedge gave way to the rear yard which sloped down gradually to the edge of the river.

The house at one time had been well kept but in recent years, its age was evident. Some of the paint, especially the window trims was in need of scraping and repainting. The large house had three individual dormers on the front roof facing the yard. Brick steps needing the mortar re-pointed led to the front entrance and shrub bushes had been planted years ago in front of the house. Directly in front was an area where Jeff and Evelyn parked their cars but there was room for at least four more cars with room to spare.. The ground was covered with many small rocks and dirt with weeds here and there. Beyond where they parked was a small barn with two sets of doors that opened outwards. Inside was a staircase that allowed access to a second floor which had been used as a storage loft by the family for many years. Beside the dirt area, basketball sized stones lined the border and separated that from the front lawn that led to the roadside.

Two years after Robert and Evelyn were married, she gave birth to a daughter they named Nora. The child was born prematurely with underdeveloped lungs and died after only four days. They were devastated and extremely apprehensive towards having another child. When she was thirty three and Robert forty two, Evelyn became pregnant and on September 14, 1955, they had a son, Jeffery. To their great delight, he was healthy and developing normally. Robert tried to interest Jeffery in drawing and painting but the boy showed little if any interest. When he reached the age of twelve, it was evident that trucks were what he liked. As soon as he got out of school every day, he would hop on his bicycle and ride to the gravel pit on the other side of town where there were always trucks with dump trailers being loaded and Jeffery became friends with many of the drivers. He would sometimes accompany a driver on his run and more than once, they would put his bicycle on the back of the truck and drop him at his house on the return trip. When he was fifteen, one of the drivers called Dutch took a special liking to Jeffery and used to let him practice driving and backing his truck into the pits. At first, Dutch who was thirty-six at the time, seemed rather gruff and unfriendly but as Jeffery soon learned, that was just his way. He was really a nice guy. Jeffery would go with Dutch on many of his runs and when he reached the age when he could get his trucker’s license, he took him to the registry and let him use his truck, a Mack, to take the test. Jeffery did fine with no mistakes; he couldn’t have been happier.

Robert was a kind man and a good father. He wanted Jeffery to be able to make a decent living for himself when he became an adult but he also knew that he seemed very happy and content driving the trucks so that was fine with Robert and Evelyn too. Besides his family, Robert’s life was his art interests and he felt a genuine satisfaction in instructing the students at the art school.

After finishing high school, Jeffery had no interest in furthering his education with any college so he worked for several different freight companies, beginning with stripping and loading trucks at night and eventually driving and making deliveries. He liked the work somewhat but really longed for the open road and long distance hauling. His goal was to keep driving and try to buy a truck and begin his own transport business.

Jeffery was nineteen when his father passed away suddenly. It was a tremendous blow to both him and Evelyn. Within a year, he began going out at night partying and drinking. Before long he began smoking Marijuana which eventually led to his dismissal from his trucking job. He had lived at home all along and continued to do so now that he had no job. He borrowed money from Evelyn and didn’t pay her back which was hard because Robert left only a small of money. She took a part time job at a ladies’ clothing store which helped some but she was by no means financially comfortable. She could meet her property taxes and afford food and household utilities but sometimes it was close.

Jeffery began working for a place called Employees For Hire or E. F. H. Inc as it was listed. People involved with this operation would report to their headquarters each day and be assigned employment at company locations that had enlisted their services. Sometimes a person would be sent to the same company everyday for several weeks or other times a different location each day would be assigned. Workers were paid on a daily basis and some only reported when they needed money for alcohol or a few day’s supply of food.

The businesses that used E.F.H’s services did so because often times they did not have long term work available and also they did not have to pay these employees any benefits.

Jeffery had recently been sent to a delivery company that dealt in second hand furniture. He accompanied the driver and another helper and delivered and picked up all different items such as chairs, tables, and sofas. The business that they were working for was very tight with their money although Jeffery was told that the owners were very well off financially. The moving truck that they used was old and battered and often broke down. The driver and the other helper were both drinkers stopping several times a day for a snoot full. Jeffery had no problem with that and joined them willingly until one day when the two were fired by E. F. H. it just so happened that Jeffery had not showed up which was fortunate because surly he would have been let go as well.

He continued working there and drinking and smoking pot most evenings. As time moved on, Jeffery’s future looked bleak which worried Evelyn considerably. She tried to reason with him and get him to focus on getting back on track but she began to realize that her efforts were futile. Jeffery seemed happy with his irresponsible lifestyle until one day he met the person who would turn his life around completely; he met Ingrid Jansen.

After taking two days off one week, he reported for work on a Wednesday morning and was sent to a distributing companies’ warehouse to assist in unloading incoming freight from trucks. It was an extremely busy facility and trucks were coming and going very regularly. At just before ten o’clock, a trailer truck backed up to the dock and a very attractive blond girl slid out of the cab and proceeded up the stairs and pulled opened the trailer door. The weather was warm so she had on a tee shirt and snug jeans with black running shoes. Her load consisted of three pallets of merchandise so Jeffery got on the small forklift and placed the loading ramp down so he could enter the trailer. After dropping the pallets off to the side of the dock, he stopped and walked over to her.

The first thing he noticed was her eyes that were a lovely light blue shade. She handed him a clipboard with the paperwork to be signed for receipt of the freight.

How are you today? Jeffery asked her with a broad smile.

Very well on this nice day she answered and glanced at the clipboard.

Ingrid was used to men flirting with her on a constant basis. She began driving trucks after completing a course. She had originally applied for a position at the tractor - trailer school as a secretary but the job was already taken. The man whom she spoke to said that she could take the driving course if she wanted to but the secretary spot had been filled. Several other men were present in the office at the time and chuckled when he suggested this. She quickly realized that it was a rib so she called his bluff and accepted. She was in need of a job and had no extensive education so she figured it might be worth a shot.

Ingrid not only picked up the driving skills quickly but really enjoyed driving as well. She liked being alone in her truck rather than being cooped up in an office all day. Soon after completing her course, she was hired by the local transport company that she was still working for. She had dated a few men but had not had any serious feelings for anyone yet.

Thanks, have a nice day she said as she handed Jeffery the papers for the company.

Yeah…you too he answered as he watched her walk to staircase at the end of the platform. Another man called Don who was sent to work with Jeffery from E.F.H came up beside him and watched Ingrid walk toward the cab of her truck.

Tell me something Jeff, would you jump her…. I mean…right here on the dock? Don said leaning close to Jeff’s ear and emitting a deep chuckle.

I could Jeff said and went inside with the papers.

To Jeff’s delight, he was assigned to the same distributing company for the next two weeks. In that time, Ingrid came three more times and Jeff became more friendly with her. He told her that he too was a licensed trucker which sparked her interest somewhat. She asked why he was working where he did rather than driving to which he said that he had been laid off. He did not want to admit to her that he had in fact been fired because of his irresponsibility and drinking.

On Thursday morning of his second week at the distribution company, Jeff was told that the following Monday, he would be reporting to another job in another town. He wanted to ask Ingrid out for a drink or two but hadn’t built up enough courage yet. He figured that if she came in before he left, he would go for it. The worst that could happen would be that she will tell him to go to hell and that wouldn’t kill him. He knew hardly anything about her but had noticed that she was not wearing a wedding ring. He would not be surprised if she was seeing someone but there was only one way to find out.

Jeff watched for her the remainder of Thursday and Friday morning with no sign. After lunch he went back to work and began unloading trucks. He had pretty much given up on seeing her because she always had delivered in the mornings. As the afternoon wore on, there was no sign of her truck. Jeff’s shift ended at four thirty but at just past three, she backed up to the dock. When Jeff saw her coming up onto the platform, he quickly got that nervous fluttering in his stomach.

Ingrid opened the trailer door and then walked over to Jeff. She looked really nice with jeans and a button down short sleeve shirt. Her blond hair was pulled back tight against the sides of her head and tied in a pony tail which was hanging out of the opening in the back of her cap. Her face and arms were lightly tanned and her skin was flawless. She smiled at Jeff exposing perfectly spaced pearl white teeth.

Hey trucker, I’m here for a pickup she said and handed him the paperwork.

Hey yourself Jeff answered.

He walked to the far end of the dock where the items for shipping were located and located the items for her truck. He loaded them into the trailer and then stepped down from the forklift. He handed her the paperwork.

Thanks she said and turned toward the stairs.

Hey Ingrid, would you like to go out with me…. maybe tomorrow night for a few beers…that is if you’re not busy?

She looked at Jeff for a second and then walked down the stairs and out to the front of the truck. Jeff was dumbfounded. Jesus, she could have at least said no….or at least something he muttered. He started to walk back into the warehouse when he heard her voice.

Hey trucker she called and held up a piece of paper. My address she said grinning as she got closer.

Jeff started laughing and looked at the neat writing on the paper.

Okay. How’s seven thirty sound? I’ll pick you up he said.

See you then she said as she walked again to the stairs.

Jeff’s date with Ingrid was a disaster. Before picking her up, he had gotten high. He took her to the Bamboo Hut, a drinking lounge that he frequented often and drank as he normally did on a Saturday evening. She nursed two bottles of beer while Jeff consumed five and three shots of VO. At first, it went well and they danced until Jeff became unsteady and slurring his speech. Ingrid ended up driving him home in his car because he was in no condition to do so himself.

Evelyn met her at the door and was totally embarrassed at his condition. He was babbling and not making much sense. She thanked Ingrid over and over and apologized at least a half dozen times. Evelyn offered to drive Ingrid home but she said that she would rather take his car to her place and return it the following morning. Ingrid left and when Evelyn went to check on Jeff he was out like a light on his bed. She covered him with a blanket and went downstairs and turned on the television set. She was too distraught over Jeff’s behavior to sleep. She was pretty much at her wits end with his drinking and overall behavior.

Ingrid shared an apartment with her friend Carolyn Fields, whom she had known for several years. Carolyn was a beautician and found it interesting that Ingrid not only drove trucks but enjoyed it as well. She was eight years older and when she was growing up, she never imagined girls driving large trucks.

Their apartment was small but affordable and well maintained. The rent was reasonable which was fine for Ingrid because she was